Is Using Radar Detectors Illegal?

Legal debates on radar detectors

There is quite a lot of controversy surrounding the use of radar detectors, because they do not only foil police’s attempts to determine who is breaking the law, but they encourage the practice of driving at illegal speeds that seriously increase the chance of accidents.

Because each state has a different legislation regarding the use of radar detectors in 2017, it is quite difficult for lawmakers to get to an accord on the matter. While most states do not ban the use of radar detectors, there are places where such devices are tied to other law obstructions, such as obstruction of the view through the windshield. The only state that bans the use of radar detectors is Virginia, while in District of Columbia, the use of radar gun detectors is considered illegal.

So, it is important to know the rules in your state or wherever you want to travel, before installing the radar detection device on your dashboard. Even if you may not get a speeding ticket, you may still find yourself in an unpleasant situation and have to pay some fee for obstructing the law.

The use of radar detectors is a matter of great controversy, due to the fact that motorists, on one hand, want to be able to reduce their chance of getting a speeding ticket, while lawmakers and the police, on the other, say that they cannot do their job because they are prevented to do so.

The thing is that not getting speeding tickets can make people less aware of the dangers of driving at over-the-limit speeds. At higher speeds, your reflexes and capacity to react are greatly reduced and you are in more danger of getting involved in a life threatening accident for you or other participants to the traffic.